California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom stayed radio silent on Thursday after Florida Governor Ron Desantis accepted his debate challenge this week.

Newsom, seemingly looking to boost his national profile ahead of potentially jumping into the 2024 presidential race, challenged DeSantis in June to a debate.

“I’m all in. Count on it,” Newsom told Fox News host Sean Hannity, saying that he would agree to a three-hour debate with only “one day’s notice with no notes.”

During an appearance on the network Wednesday night, DeSantis responded to the challenge: “Absolutely, I’m game.”

“Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where we’ll do it,” DeSantis said as the audience cheered. “In one respect, the debate between California and Florida has already been had, as you suggest, people have been voting on that, they’ve been voting on it with their feet, they have fled California in record numbers.”

Yet nearly 24 hours since accepting the challenge, Newsom has remained silent. The Daily Wire reached out to his team and did not receive a response in time for publication. A source familiar with the matter indicated that Newsom had not reached out to DeSantis’ team either.

The debate between California and Florida is already over. People have been voting with their feet for years.

But the debate about the future of our country is one we need to have.

I'm game to talk about my plans to reverse the decline in this country anytime, anywhere, because… pic.twitter.com/BbUKix8s5E

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 3, 2023

DeSantis highlighted the contrast between the two states during the interview, including Florida having the top economy in the country, being ranked number one in education, having a 50-year-low crime rate, and being ranked number one for net in-migration.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP

“But in another sense, this is the debate for the future of our country because you have people like Joe Biden, they would love to see the Californication of the United States,” he continued. “Biden may not even be the nominee. You could have Gavin Newsom, you could have Kamala Harris. And I think if we go down that direction, that’s going to accelerate American decline. We can’t see America decline anymore. We need to reverse.”

Newsom sent a proposal for the debate to Fox News last week that included the following:

This debate will include Governor Gavin Newsom and Governor Ron DeSantis. There will be no other speakers in the debate. The moderator will be Sean Hannity. There will be no other moderators for this debate. This will be a 90 minute debate in studio, aired by Fox News. The debate will be aired live. Participants (Governors) will not use any notes or bring any prepared documents on stage. There will be a pen and a pad of paper for each Governor to use during the program. Staff will not brief participants once the program has begun.

The proposal listed three swing states as possible locations: Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley finally broke her silence on Thursday about the latest indictment against former President Donald Trump.

The Republican presidential candidate, who is in a three-way tie for third place in the GOP primary, took a different tune than the other non-Trump candidates in the top five.

“Unlike the other candidates, I didn’t rush out with a statement yesterday on Trump’s indictment for one simple reason — like most Americans, I’m tired of commenting on every Trump drama,” Haley said on the “Good Morning New Hampshire with Jack Heath” radio show.

“I’ve lost track of whether this indictment is the third or fourth or the fifth,” Haley continued. “We should be focusing on how to stop China. We should be focusing on how to close the border. We need to be reversing Bidenomics. Putting a 77-year-old former president in prison doesn’t do any of that. We’ve got to move on already.”

Haley’s remarks come after the former president was charged and arraigned this week by a federal grand jury on charges of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, and Conspiracy Against Rights.

The other three non-Trump candidates in the top five — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former Vice President Mike Pence — all issued statements shortly after Trump was charged.

“As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans,” said DeSantis. “While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment. I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, D.C., to their home districts.”

“Washington, D.C., is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality,” he added. “One of the reasons our country is in decline is the politicization of the rule of law. No more excuses—I will end the weaponization of the federal government.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP

Scott said in a statement to The Daily Wire: “I remain concerned about the weaponization of Biden’s DOJ and its immense power used against political opponents. What we see today are two different tracks of justice. One for political opponents and another for the son of the current president. We’re watching Biden’s DOJ continue to hunt Republicans, while protecting Democrats.”

Pence took a shot at Trump in his response, saying: “Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.”

Pence continued:

I will have more to say about the government’s case after reviewing the indictment. The former president is entitled to the presumption of innocence but with this indictment, his candidacy means more talk about January 6th and more distractions.

As Americans, his candidacy means less attention paid to Joe Biden’s disastrous economic policies afflicting millions across the United States and to the pattern of corruption with Hunter.

Our country is more important than one man. Our Constitution is more important than any one man’s career. On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will.

As your president, I will not yield an inch in defending America, our people, or our values, and I promise you: I will do so in a way consistent with my oath to the Constitution and the character and decency of the American people. We will restore a threshold of integrity and civility in public life so we can bring real solutions to the challenges plaguing our nation.

The New York Times/Siena poll, which is rated by FiveThirtyEight as the most accurate poll in the nation, found in its most recent survey that Trump remains the frontrunner in the GOP primary race with his only serious challenger being DeSantis, who sits at 17%. After DeSantis, Pence, Haley, and Scott all sit at 3%. The remaining candidates all sit at 2% or less.

While Trump appears to be dominant at the moment with just over half of the vote, the poll showed that nearly half of the respondents who chose Trump — 46% — say that they are “considering other candidates.”